Springetts to build new $3.8M firehouse

A new $3.8 million state-of-the-art firehouse will be built in Springettsbury Township, township officials said.

Construction on the project was approved by Springettsbury Township supervisors at a special meeting Tuesday, according to a township press release.

Ground-breaking hopefully will begin soon, according to Don Bishop, vice-chairman of the Springettsbury Township supervisors. He said officials hope construction will be completed in the summer of 2014.

Township supervisors and staff, the township's volunteer firefighters and York Area United Fire and Rescue worked together to design the facility, which will house fire and ambulance apparatus and personnel, as well as act as the YAUFR's headquarters.

It will be located on Commons Drive, behind Hoss's Steak and Sea House restaurant.

As part of the new fire station being built, Commons Drive will be extended so it connects East Market Street to Eastern Boulevard, according to Don Eckert, president of the Springettsbury Township Volunteer Fire Co.

Who's paying: Construction costs on the building will be shared by the volunteer fire company, its Fire Relief Association and by Springettsbury Township.

Eckert said the company purchased the land for about $600,000 and will pay another $507,000 in construction costs. The Fire Relief Association will pay $200,000 toward construction costs, he said.

The township's volunteer fire company will also be paying for the building's security features, he said.

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In all, the volunteer company will provide about $1.33 million toward the construction of the new building, Eckert said.

Springettsbury's current fire station, on East Market Street near Home Depot, will be closed as part of the project, as will the current YAUFR headquarters, located off Whiteford Road in Springettsbury Park.

Sales agreement: The current fire station property is under a sales agreement, and proceeds of its sale will be used to offset the costs of purchasing the new site and building the new station, according to the press release. The station is slated to become a new commercial center.

Bishop said it's hoped the property sale will bring in close to $1 million. It's expected several retail stores will be constructed there, he said.

Bishop said the township's East Market Street firehouse was perfect 30 years ago, but is now outdated. It's not compliant with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, there are no proper facilities for female firefighters, and some modern firefighting apparatus won't even fit inside, he said.

"It would be good money after bad to try to bring it up to existing codes," Eckert agreed.

The current YAUFR headquarters will be torn down and the land will incorporated into the park for recreational use, according to the township.

Volunteers: The township will own the new building, and there will be a home there for the township's volunteer fire company, according to Bishop, who credited Eckert as being the driving force behind the effort to build a modern firehouse.

Eckert confirmed he's been working on the project since 2007 and has been involved in the township's fire service for nearly 59 years.

"This goes a long way towards helping us figure out the role of the volunteers in the future, while at the same time making sure we can provide effective fire service for the community," Bishop said. "It's a huge success for the township and for the volunteer firefighters."

The general-construction contract was awarded to Lobar Inc. of Dillsburg for $2.3 million; the plumbing/fire protection contract was awarded to Silvertip Inc. of Lewisburg for $324,000; the HVAC contract was awarded to Garden Spot Mechanical Inc. of Manheim for $580,000; and the electrical contract was awarded to Shannon A. Smith Inc. of Myerstown for $609,000.

Buchart Horn Inc. of York is the project architect and First Capital Engineering is the site design engineer.

-- Staff writer Liz Evans Scolforo can also be reached at levans@yorkdispatch.com.